A popular message that many believe to be the Gospel today is that God loves everybody, Christ died to save everybody and that the Spirit of God is working to try to get as many saved as possible but ultimately, we are told, “The choice is yours.” Now, as appealing as that may sound to the natural mind, if you will give it a little thought, you will see how this makes the sinner his own savior. If God can will sinners to be saved, Christ died to save everyone and the Almighty Spirit is unable to persuade sinners against their will, then, what does God have to do with salvation? You have put the power in the hand of the sinner, whom the Bible says is dead in sin and unable to save himself, Eph. 2:5; John 6:44, 66.

No! Dear friend, the Gospel of God is that the Father chose a people in His sovereign will and gave them to the Son in electing grace, before time. The Son of God then came and paid their complete sin debt, thereby justifying them before God, charging the merits of Christ’s death to them for righteousness, in a ONE-TIME, ONCE FOR ALL IMPUTATION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (justice). “...He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” (Hebrews 9:12) The Spirit now effectually calls to Christ, in time, by the Gospel, everyone for whom Christ died, John 6:37. This He does by giving them Life and Light to repent, being born from above, of the Father of Lights with Whom there is no shadow of turning, James 1:17-18.

Let’s be careful, then, not to think that it is the new birth or our faith that brings about the imputation of God’s righteousness. No! It is the imputed righteousness of God at the cross that brings about the new birth and Faith in everyone to whom God has already charged the merits of Christ’s work. Our LORD Jesus clearly established this order of righteousness, established and imputed first, then the coming of the Spirit in John 16:7- “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” John 16:13 teaches that it is the work of the Spirit then to take the things of Christ and reveal them unto us. (Who He is and the redemption, reconciliation, forgiveness of sins and justification already accomplished in His obedience unto death). That is truly salvation in, by and through the LORD Jesus Christ alone.